Your entire life is a lie

It’s time you realized that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet.

— Marcus Aurelius

I guess the first thing that you think about when you read this is that to “dance like a puppet” refers to be being driven by your impulses – living reactively, emotionally, and seeking short term pleasures. And at first glance it sounds like what Marcus is saying is to use the power of your thought to override those impulses and to live in a way that is upright, noble, and stoic.

But I think it goes deeper.

What makes you think that your thoughts are the solution to the problem? Just like your body and physiological impulses, aren’t they too pulled in this direction or that by similar, unseen forces?

We know from psychology (particularly Freud and C. G. Jung) that we are driven largely by unconscious forces, and have little control over the things that we think and the way we behave.

We like to think that we’re in control, but isn’t that just another thought? And if your thoughts are out of our control, then doesn’t that make the sensation of control an illusion?

That’s problematic, because we tend to define ourselves by our sensation of conscious control - but if that’s an illusion, then who are you?

Who is “I” if your inner voice is actually just driven by unconscious forces, your biology, and your environment?

An interesting exercise if you still think you’re in control: If I say pink elephant, now you’re thinking about a pink elephant. But you’re not responsible for that thought – I triggered it in you. So what makes you think that the rest of the ways you behave, along with everything you’ve achieved in your life is ‘your’ doing?

Maybe it’s time to broaden your understanding of what you identify with as you. (And start paying more attention to ‘others’ and the ‘environment’ ;)).

Your quality of life is 100% dependent on your perspective.

Nothing can phase you with the right perspective. Life is beautiful. And not in a trivial way. It’s absolutely fucking mind-blowing how beautiful it can be.

The problem with maintaining perspective is that it can feel like trying to dig a hole in water – with every heave of the shovel the water just floods back in.

And for that reason it’s easy to just drift through life unconscious, blown around like a leaf in the wind, and suffering because of it.

But it doesn’t have to be like that. The more you realign with it the longer it sticks, and eventually you can entrench it permanently.

So I’m going to keep writing about it and sharing my insights, and if you want to come on this journey with me drop your email below and check out the social media icons.